


Broken

by fangirlingtodeath513



Series: Season 12 Coda Fics [7]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: 12x23, 12x23 coda, All Along the Watchtower - Freeform, M/M, all along the watchtower coda, coda fic, coda ficlet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 11:55:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10943985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlingtodeath513/pseuds/fangirlingtodeath513
Summary: He rubs a hand over his face, looking down at the angel again. In reality, he’d known. For a while. I mean, who makes a mixtape for a platonic friend? Of course Castiel hadn’t known the meaning of it, but… it’d made Dean feel better. Like he’d actually expressed himself. Of course he couldn’t do it with words. He’d only ever said those words to his mother in the last… however many years since all this shit started.





	Broken

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very dissatisfied by the finale, so I wrote. I ended up writing three codas (one mildly happy, one super happy, and one angsty as fuck). *shoves codas at you* Enjoy!
> 
> This one is the angsty as fuck one.

Featherless. Bent. Broken.

 

_Please, Chuck, please come back. I need you to bring him back. I need him._

“You stupid fucking son of a bitch. We  _told_  you the plan. We  _told_ you. We had it under control. And you waltzed right the fuck in there and got yourself killed. You fucking  _idiot_ , Cas. Damn it.” He ignores the breaks in his voice and the tears rolling down his cheeks, opting to focus his eyes on the sky again. He takes a few deep breaths, his eyes fluttering closed after a moment.

 

He was gone. Castiel was really and truly gone. Of course, it felt like that every time, but this time… This time was different. His wings were burned on the ground around Dean, and Chuck… Chuck flapped off to who knows where with Amara. There was no doubt in Dean’s mind that Chuck wouldn’t be of any help to them.

 

So this was it. This was the last time. Castiel’s final death. Hardly seemed fitting, him being stabbed in the back by Lucifer. The one problem they’d never managed to take care of. Of  _course_  that’s the thing that would come back to bite them in the ass. Things were too good. Mom was back and Cas… Cas was somewhat normal again.

 

Dean had gotten too happy. That was his mistake. He’d let himself believe after Ketch’s death that they would all come out of this okay. That somehow, they’d all make it back to the bunker and Lucifer would be iced and they could focus on the Nephilim problem. They’d put the Bunker back in order, and Castiel and Mary could move into their rooms permanently. Dean would cook and they would all hunt, and everything would be okay.

 

He shakes his head at his own foolishness, a broken sob escaping his lips. He’s surprised he can feel anything right now. He’d watched the blade rip through Castiel’s chest, watched Lucifer smirk at him as the lo- as his best friend’s grace burned out and his wings burned into the ground. He lets out a sigh, looking up at the sky again. Fuck it. He’s too damn old for this. Lucifer had smirked at him as the love of his life’s wings had burned into the ground.

 

He rubs a hand over his face, looking down at the angel again. In reality, he’d known. For a while. I mean, who makes a mixtape for a platonic friend? Of course, Castiel hadn’t known the meaning of it, but… it’d made Dean feel better. Like he’d actually expressed himself. Of course he couldn’t do it with words. He’d only ever said those words to his mother in the last… however many years since all this shit started.

 

*                                                                      *                                                                               *

 

Castiel is dead and Mom is trapped in the other world with Lucifer. Sam heaves a sigh and glances at Dean’s defeated figure kneeling next to Castiel. Sam knows his brother won’t leave the angel’s… body. Cas’ body. Wow. He swallows thickly, resigning himself to his fate before turning and heading into the house. The Nephilim needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, and Dean’s certainly not equipped to deal with that at the moment. He walks upstairs to the bedroom Kelly was in, gingerly closing her eyes, idly wishing they could’ve found a way to save her. He sighs again, looking around for the baby, his eyebrows furrowing when he doesn’t see it. He hears a loud bang in the distance and his eyes widen, walking back into the hallway. It takes him a moment to spot them: the footprints leading out of the bedroom and down the hallway. He follows them nervously. They lead into what Sam assumes was the nursery for the child. He considers turning the lights on in the room, but his feet carry him forward before he decides on an answer. His eyes sweep the room slowly before he finds a figure curled up in the back-right corner. The Nephilim’s head lifts slowly and his eyes flare yellow before fading. 

The Nephilim’s smirk is the only warning he has. He jumps out of the way when the Nephilim lurches at him, closing the door quickly and running back out to Dean. He cuts his palm, drawing a containment sigil quickly before turning his eyes back to his brother.

 

Dean hasn’t moved since he left. Sam’s not surprised, honestly. Sam’s known for longer than Dean gives him credit for. He sends up a silent prayer to Chuck before stepping forward and resting his uninjured hand on Dean’s shoulder.

 

“Dean. We need to go. Come on.” Dean shrugs his hand off, his eyes locked on the angel’s body. Sam lets out a quiet sigh, turning back toward the house. He groans quietly when he sees a bright yellow flash in the nursery window. Apparently containment sigils don’t work on Nephilim. Go figure. Sam draws his gun anyway, checking the house quickly. He grabs salt, lighter fluid, and matches from the Impala, spreading the salt and lighter fluid over Kelly. He strikes a match and drops it on her, grabbing all their things from the house and going back out to Dean.

 

“Dean, seriously, we gotta go. Please.”

 

“Sam.” Sam pauses, eyes locked on Dean. He’s never heard his brother’s voice so weak, so… broken. He nods quickly, hauling Dean to his feet, holding his brother up when he feels Dean’s full weight on him.

 

Sam’s not entirely sure what to do. He’s never seen his brother so… emotional. Dean was usually the one to hide his emotions, and he was the one who usually emphasized with people. Sam held him up, closing his eyes when he feels sobs wracking his brother’s body. He remembers this feeling. Like the entire world is imploding, crashing and burning around him. Like his insides have been ripped out and stomped on. He’s felt it recently, actually.

 

Dean pushes him away and drops to his knees again, dry heaving. Sam glances over at Castiel’s body, taking a deep breath. He leaves Dean where he is for the moment, grabbing a blanket from the trunk of the Impala and wrapping Castiel’s body up gingerly, laying him out on the back seat of the Impala. He packs all their things into the trunk, helping Dean up again and getting him into the passenger’s seat of the Impala. He takes the keys, sliding behind the wheel and driving back to the Bunker.

 

Dean doesn’t speak for the entire 27 hours it takes to get back to the Bunker. Sam pulls into the garage, unloading their stuff quickly. Dean gets out slowly, leaning against the wall of the garage. Sam watches him, keeping his voice soft.

 

“I know you don’t want to do this, but… We have to, Dean. He’s earned it.” Dean nods slowly, walking outside. Sam follows him and together, they make a pyre in the clearing by the Bunker. Dean’s silent the whole time, but at least the dry heaves have stopped. Sam starts back toward the garage, but Dean grabs his arm and shakes his head.

 

“Let me. Please.” His voice is hoarse and weary, but Sam nods nonetheless. He knows this is something Dean needs to do for himself, so Sam lets him go. He gets the salt and lighter fluid ready.

 

Dean walks back to the garage, opening the back door of the Impala and lifting Castiel’s body out gently. He manages to fight back a sob, holding the angel’s body tight against his chest while he walks back to Sam. He lays Cas’ body on the pyre carefully, taking the salt and lighter fluid from Sam, spreading them over the sheet covering his angel. He steps back when he hears Sam strike a match, his hands hanging limply at his sides.

 

Two minutes. That’s all it had taken to rip apart his entire world. Castiel was… and Lucifer had pulled his mom into an alternate dimension they had no access to. He watches the pyre burn until darkness falls over the Bunker. He heads inside, glancing at the cart of alcohol, falling into a chair in the library, staring blankly ahead. Sam’s never seen his brother like this.

 

Bent. Broken.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr [here(:](https://fangirlingtodeath513.tumblr.com/)
> 
> PLEASE DO NOT POST MY WORKS ANYWHERE BUT HERE OR TUMBLR WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION.


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